In article dQqAf.714892$x96.30673@attbi_s72,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:
The magnets aren't a big deal--really.

I admire your brand loyalty -- but the consensus of every pilot I know (and,
more importantly, every pilot I know who has purchased a 396) is that Garmin
really, REALLY didn't do their homework with that antenna.

It's almost as dumb as the floppy disk manufacturer that included a
refrigerator magnet with every disk...


It has nothing to do with brand loyalty and everything to do with
reality. The reality is that if you position the XM receiver away from
the compass, the magnets make no difference. Even on the glareshield of
most aircraft, the magnets should make little to no difference. I don't
know about you, but I rarely use my compass as my primary navigation
source.

My assessment is that Garmin did "do their homework" with the
receiver--it is a far superior design to the WxWorx equipment. The
magnets are in the receiver because Garmin markets the same receiver to
the automotive market, where the magnets may be beneficial. I suspect
Garmin's market research shows a much greater market in automotive than
in aviation.

Regardless of your opinion on the magnets, the fact is that if you want
XM weather in a hand held GPS, you have only one choice--Garmin.



JKG